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A charismatic
young actor, with arresting screen presence,
Michael Ontkean, in MGM’s “Voices”, plays the
role of Drew Rothman, a nightclub singer in
Hoboken, New Jersey, who knows what he wants of
life and is determined to get it.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, of
theatrical parents – both his father and mother,
Leonard and Muriel Cooper Ontkean were actors –
Ontkean made his stage debut at age 5, playing a
cough-drop in a children’s production of his
father’s repertory company. When he was 9, the
family moved to Toronto because that city was
the center of the burgeoning Canadian television
industry. For the next few years, he worked
regularly for the Canadian Broadcasting Company
and the National Film stars in Canada, no stage
stars, no political stars – only hockey stars.
“A strong hockey player, he decided the best way
to earn enough money to get a sound education
and to perfect himself as an actor was to join
the National Hockey League which then had a
network of farm teams all over Canada and
recruited gifted teenagers to play for them.
While attending high school, Ontkean played for
St. Michael's (a Toronto Maple Leaf farm club)
and for semi-pro teams in Quebec and Vancouver.
On graduating, he received offers of athletic
scholarships from fourteen different
universities. He chose the University of New
Hampshire, where he majored in theatre arts.
While in college he played right wing on the
hockey team and became a leading scorer in the
Eastern College Athletic Conference. When his
three-year athletic eligibility was up, Ontkean
joined the nearby minor league Nashua Maple
Leafs for a season in order to complete his
education. But when offered a permanent contract
to play in the New York Rangers’ organization,
Ontkean turned it down in favor of a life in the
theatre.
In 1970, Ontkean was appearing in a stage
production in Toronto when he was spotted by
Canadian-born director Norman Jewison, who
brought him to Hollywood to test for an
important role in his film adaptation of the
Broadway success. “Fiddler On The Roof”. He did
not get the part, but the test led to other film
roles and Ontkean was seen in “A Time for Every
Purpose”, “The Peace Killers” and “The Toy
Factory”, with Orson Welles which was shot in
Europe.
Shortly after the completion of this film,
Ontkean took a brief hiatus from screen work to
study sculpture in Italy with a teacher who had
been schooled by the famed artist Jacques
Lipchitz. On his return to the United States, he
appeared on numerous television programs, among
them “Dan August”, “Walt Disney Presents”, “The
Partridge Family” and “Ironside”. He was also
seen frequently Canadian television.
In 1972, Ontkean was signed to a co-starring
role in the television series “The Rookies”,
which quickly developed a strong following. The
show went on to become a smash hit but, after
two seasons, Ontkean dropped out of the cast,
citing “artistic differences” with his
producers.
Once again he took time out from acting to try
his hand at another branch of the arts. For two
years he lived in retirement in British Columbia
and devoted himself to writing poetry, a
longtime avocation. It was a productive period –
to date Ontkean has published three volumes of
poetry and is currently at work on his fourth.
“I have no facility for prose”, he says, “but
poetry seems to come naturally”.
Although Ontkean rejected a contract with the
Rangers, he couldn’t resist the lure of playing
a hockey player in Universal’s “Slap Shot”,
starring Paul Newman. And it was a triumphant
return to the ice and to films because his
striptease on skates was one of the highlights
of the black comedy.
“Voices” makes no call on his athletic prowess,
but for the role of Drew Rothman, Ontkean spent
long hours rehearsing with a band and learning
to finger a Fender Rhodes piano to look
authentic as a rock musician. He also had
lengthy sessions with composer Jimmy Webb about
being a singer. “He has a good voice”, says
Webb, “and I love the way he does my songs. We
mainly talked about what it means to be a
performer and how a performer moves and presents
himself to an audience”.
A dedicated craftsman, Ontkean moved to Hoboken
even before the start of filming to soak up the
atmosphere of the city in which the story is set
he lived throughout the run of the movie.
When not at work in front of the camera, Ontkean
now lives in Maine.
“Voices”, an MGM presentation, was produced by
Joe Wizan and directed by Robert Markowitz with
songs and score by Jimmy Webb. Written by John
Herzfeld, the film stars Michael Ontkean, Amy
Irving and Alex Rocco with Barry Miller, Viveca
Lindfors and Herbert Berghof in featured roles.
It will be released in the U.S and Canada by
United Artists and throughout the rest of the
world by Cinema International Corporation.
Transcribed by Christos Spirou for use on The
Rookies Online:
http://www.therookies.gr
For entertainment purpose only. No profit or
copyright infringement intended.
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